1. Background Field of Invention
This invention relates to data transmission over a multi-hop RF network using low cost and low processing power 8-bit microcontrollers in order to overcome power limitations on the signal.
2. Background Discussion of Prior Art
A RF network is a group of nodes distributed in an irregular topography, every one within the power area of the other nodes.
Communication with a node through more than one node is known as a multiple-hop communication system.
In order to overcome the problems inherent to power limitations of the signal, some RF networks employ a net layer that improves the utilization of a method capable of sending a message hopping through nodes until it reaches the destination node.
These methods use one of two routing alternatives, and depending on which one is used, the method will be either table-based or dynamical routing-based. When a table-based method is employed, all routing information is stored in a data storage unit or DSU (118), so that when a node needs to send a message, the information stored in the DSU (118) is used in order to route that message. When a Dynamical routing-based method is employed, messages are routed dynamically, and a DSU is not needed. However, when the traffic of messages in the network becomes higher, a node that needs to send a message must send a broadcast in order to obtain the path of the destination node and afterwards send the message. Due to mobility, table-based methods must maintain the routing table up-to-date. Maintenance is performed through an algorithm that periodically updates the table. The utilization of high performance microcontrollers to manage complex routing algorithms has been widely used. In contrast, this invention is a method and a simplified, extremely efficient algorithm devised to update routing tables and thus allow nodes to communicate within a multi-hop network using low performance 8-bit Microcontrollers (114), achieving a significant reduction in the cost of devices used as nodes.
As is well known, low performance 8-bit microcontrollers have speed, storage and processing speed limitations, they are not well suited to be used in RF multi-hop network applications. However, based on this invention, low-cost devices may be developed and successfully perform as nodes in RF multi-hop networks.